For D.A. in Suffolk and Westchester

Published: November 2, 2001

The noisiest election contests in Suffolk and Westchester Counties this fall are those for district attorney. Both races pit active Democratic challengers against veteran Republican incumbents. Here are our recommendations:

Suffolk County: After a dozen years in office, Suffolk's district attorney, the Republican James Catterson, can claim some real accomplishments, including innovative efforts to divert low-level drug dealers to treatment, crack down on drunken-driving offenders and protect battered women. But his record is marred by bullying behavior and bad judgment calls, like his decision to continue to solicit contributions from his employees even as he was prosecuting a local sheriff for using his office to do political work.

Our endorsement goes to his Democratic opponent, Thomas Spota. A defense attorney in private practice and a former assistant district attorney, he offers solid experience, along with fresh ideas for bolstering an office lately beset by an alarmingly high rate of staff turnover.

Westchester County: During eight years in office, District Attorney Jeanine Pirro has energetically tackled both lower-level crime and more serious felonies. She has made good use of special bureaus that focus on key areas like environmental crime, child abuse and domestic and gang violence. But while there is much to admire about Ms. Pirro's record, the lingering cloud created by her husband's federal tax-fraud conviction prevents us from supporting her re-election.

No one in this era of working couples wants to unfairly punish Ms. Pirro for the bad behavior of her spouse. But she was not merely a victim of her husband's chicanery. She was a beneficiary who signed some of the tax returns that figured in his case. Her refusal to publicly discuss the particulars of her role in some of the tangled transactions that resulted in his now serving a 29-month prison sentence is troubling. Troubling, too, is her refusal to debate her Democratic challenger, Tony Castro, a well-regarded former senior prosecutor in the Bronx district attorney's office.

Westchester residents deserve a district attorney untainted by swirling integrity and judgment questions. Ms. Pirro's mistakes cannot be dismissed as merely personal, as their inevitable consequence has been to undermine trust in her office, and to make some law enforcement officials hesitant to share information.

Our endorsement goes to Mr. Castro. Although a newcomer to politics, he is a seasoned prosecutor whose election would give Westchester a vigorous crime-fighting district attorney with a record unblemished by scandal.